The Republican journal., 1887-07-07
Is Moral Suasion Powerless ?

that happened TO be at hand when our atten-
ton was arrested by this sentence: 1.-The
cause OF temperance has advanced just as far
as it ever can under moral suasion and State
laws" We can assure YOU that carclessness
ceased, Indifference vanished. and ever, facul-
ty of The mind became alert and active almost
Instantly. We We're greatly surprised to find
that any one should entertain such an opinion,
but when We learned that it was the utterahce
OF Il politician, we are free to confess that our
surprise was somewhat lcs>cned. We believe
quite as apt to be mistaken lis the rest of their
fellow creatures. TO our mind the sentence
quoted above emboiies one of the greatest
mistakes that it is possible for any man. or
party OF men. to make.
We have no political quarrel with the author
of the statement nor with any other person.
We accord to every intelligent person the
right to hold and advocate any belief that his
own reason may lead him to regard as right.
We are sorry, for the sake of the temperance
cause which we love so we'll that any person
should advocate the claim that moral Stla>ion is
p"Wcrlc>S to help aon. the call>c of temper
ancr. Such a claim is unreasonable, and in the
light of facts aS they exist at the present time
we are justified in calling it gfrI misi"he.
In regard to the great part of the statement
relating to State laws but little Drcd he said.
For it is evident to any thinking person that
what State laws have done for Maine. State
laws are capable of doing for every State in
our country. 1t the people Of Massachusetts
demand that her hrcwerc> and Ii>tillcric> hc
closed state law can close them.
" moral >iIa>ion can do no more for tenn
larance. then is temperance work at an end
II moral >ul>on is powcrlcs> in Temperance
matters il Is equally powcrlcs> in every other
good work. For it stands to reason, that if
mankind cannot he taught to break from the
sin Of ihtcmpcranre because it is wrong, they
cannot he taught I" turn from their many 9TH
cr SINS. For intempcrance is one of the worst
OF SINS and is Great 4 woe has been pronounced
upon the drunkard as that which hangs >us-
pended over the head of the worst criminal i'm
the world. The woe rests not only on the
drnkard but on him who made the rllnkar,l.
for WE read. ''Woc to him that puttclh the
bottle to his ncighbor's lips ami makcth him
drunken Also
Then if moral >t'a>ion has exhausted itself in
the tied of temperance reform. il is exhausted
in all other places and the moral condition of
hulnanity cannot be improved.
Dcod' Deod! DcoW Oh. What Il solemn
sound. Morality dead, robed in its funeral
>hroud. only Waltin" the last sad rites of burial
shame! shame! Bro. Bateman. that Yours
should have been the hand that penned the
words which imply such thing. even as Il
possibility. much less as an established fact
And Yet, if it be true that no more advance
can be made in temperance work by means of
nlttr.p han Il
less to overcome the evil. and right has been
Ntnuui>lmd by wrong. We have no sympathy
with "r belief in the doctrines of those who
seem to delight in try in. to con> inre some one
that the world is growing worse all The time.
Believing that right is all powerful and shall
ultimately triumph over wrong, we have firm
faith that moral >uaSion will continue. 10 do all
the good which shall be dong Tor temperance
in the future. a> it has done it all in the past.
You will find it I" he an impo>>ibitl to dis
cover the n.aA, who, having been ,runkar,
and reformed, is not better yhlor. il bet
ter citizen and better man than he was b,-
fore reforming. Then. if he be. made better.
has not the moral standing of the community
in which he resides been raised to a hi. her
plane than it otherwise would have held? 1t
ma, he ar.tlr'l thai moral >ua-lnn might have
had nothing To do with his reformation. Kind
reader. did You ever know Il drunkar,I To
break from the error Of his WAYS except he had
first tc"n ronN lnrcl that he was in error:
Certainty you never knew >u'h hing to
rur. Some influence, some power. Watch.
l'"rhap-. we may not understand. has operated
upon The man amt caused linu to break the
chains of bondage which ,icl Kim lit The most
ahJect slavery. Whatever ha~ been the power
in operation, il has operated upon the better
nature of the man and COM inrtd the moral
mind. And is it not always The ca>c th,, cot,-
Noft> to morality are gained hy moral >ul>iou,
convinced by the force of mOl;,l reason: Such
we believe to be the c;l>t
The legislature Of Massachusetts failed Ia
pass an act submitting. constitutional prohihi-
iI"n to 4 vote of the people. NhN> Because
tie majority of The voters do not dies inc il.
Doubtless This J. partly tho reason; perhaps
the whole reason. Blu WHEN W" consider The
fact that our mother State ha> within her bor-
'erS seven di>liIirrir> and 1wcntv-,cvru brew
cries, il i, not too m,!rh to surmi>c that they
feared 10 work injury 10 IL hil>inr>, which rep
rc>rn> - large an amount of capital. What
ever the reason, tic fact is they .lid not do
II. Nnothrr fact also remains and it is tins:
Nhcn prohibition comes to Massachusetts. Is
il must sooner or laIcr. her people a- Il whole
will br morally better than they now are. Aud
if they IRE to be- morally elc. ,trd bN l,rnhbi-
ton. then prohibition must come through the
moral force Of the mind uf man. 1t needs but
little argument 10 convince the most >krptic:l
that prohipition clrvntc> snornly. 1t is stated
That at Il lnrrtin. IT seventy ~hrlitls il Iowa.
HE, We're uu1ninto,- in a.creciu. thai ittr i,r1-
hiliiiurS !:tw had decreased the court b,i~in,>>
fifty per cci,l. Very easy. is it not for Us To-
understand how prohibition can tlrvalr>
M> friend how came Iowa to pronibit the
would be for her GOOD. II came ,bout because.